Core Stability is Key to Preventing Back Pain

If you’re following the trends in exercise and fitness, you’ve probably heard the phrase “core strength” or “core stability.” These terms refer to the muscles of your abs and back and their ability to support your spine and keep your body stable and balanced, helping to prevent back pain.

The core muscles lie deep within the trunk of the body. They generally attach to the spine, pelvis and muscles that support the scapula. They stabilise these areas to create a firm foundation for co-ordinated movement of the legs and arms.

Core stability is also needed in everyday life, helping to keep you fit and to prevent injury when you are lugging those heavy shopping bags or doing the ironing. Rises in back pain incidence have been linked to the sedentary lifestyle that many of us lead. How about neck and shoulder pain? Time spent hunched over the desk instead of getting out and about can mean that we don’t pay enough attention to posture, and the muscles of those crucial “corset” muscles.

To strengthen your core stability:

Start by lying on your back with knees bent.

Your lumbar spine should be neither arched up nor flattened against the floor, but aligned normally with a small gap between the floor and your lower back. This is the “neutral” lumbar position you should learn to achieve.

Breathe in deeply and relax all your stomach muscles.

Breathe out and, as you do so, draw your lower abdomen inwards as if your belly button is going back towards the floor. Pilates teachers describe this as “zipping up”, as if you are fastening up a tight pair of jeans

Hold the contraction for 10 seconds and stay relaxed, allowing yourself to breathe in and out as you hold the tension in your lower stomach area.

Repeat 5-10 times.

Bear in mind the following points:

Do not let the whole stomach tense up or your upper abdominals bulge outwards, as this means you have cheated by using the large rectus abdominus muscle (the six-pack).

Do not brace too hard; just a gentle contraction is enough. Remember it’s endurance not max strength your are trying to improve.

Do not tilt your pelvis nor flatten your back, as this means you have lost the neutral position you are trying to learn to stabilise

Do not hold your breath, as this means you are not relaxed. You must learn to breathe normally and maintain the co-contraction.

Use your fingers for biofeedback on either side of your lower abdomen to feel the tension.

Once you have mastered the abdominal hollowing lying on your back, practise it lying on your front, four-point kneeling, sitting and standing. In each position get your lumbar spine into neutral before you perform the hollowing movement.